Saturday, 9 March 2013

School fairs to be plastic shopping bag free

Community markets, school fairs, festivals and shows to be plastic shopping bag free

Across Tasmania, retailers are choosing to move away from lightweight plastic shopping bags and are supplying customers with other options such as reusable bags, boxes, paper bags or biodegradable bags. These retailers will be well prepared for the proposed plastic bag ban, expected to be introduced later this year.

Under proposed Tasmanian plastic bag legislation, all retailers will be prohibited from supplying non-biodegradable, lightweight plastic shopping bags for the purpose of carrying the goods bought from the retailer. The proposed legislation will apply to any business selling a product, regardless of the size of that business.

This includes all Tasmanian and interstate exhibitors and stall holders at community markets, school fairs, festivals and shows. Following the proposed commencement of the plastic bag ban in November, they will not be able to supply customers with lightweight shopping bags for their purchases. They will however, be able to continue supplying their customers with any other bag option, including paper bags, thicker boutique-style plastic bags, biodegradable plastic bags and reusable bags.

Second Plastic Bag Ban Newsletter

For more information, or to sign up for regular updates, please visit the website.